The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1887-01-20
WASHINGTON LETTER .
[From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON. d. c.,
JAN. II, 1887.

GUS Congress, Notwithstanding the
fact that charges of Incidence have
been heaped upon it. 1t is a real
pity that the country has to part
with it so soon, and it is one of
the faults Of our legislative system.
that about the time one Congress
gets fairly down to business, an
other stepsinto its place and wastes
a year or more in getting a good
start.
The most important legislation
of the week, so far, is that creating
a Department of Agriculture and
Labor, and that against the Nor
mons of Utah. There will now be
a Secretary of Agriculture, who
will of course, be a Cabinet officer,
if the Senate agrees to this change,
and it was voted for in the House
of Representatives by such a large
majority as to leave little doubt of
its popularity.
Commissioner Coleman, the in
cumbent under the new Admins
tration, has, more than any of his
predecessors, succeeded in impress
sing upon the public mind the i'm
portance of this department and its
capacity for usefulness. The leg
islation just accomplished, may be
partly considered therefore,, in the
nature of a compliment to his eff
Gent management, and the Presi-
dent in looking about for a new
member of his Cabinet, will have
little difficulty in finding the right
man. y
The passage of the bill elevaing
the Agriculture Department toaEx-
ecutive importance, was a veryzap-
propriate celebration of the Far
mer's Congress now in session at
Washington. at the AgricultureDe e
partment. The Farmers have been
discussing the Interstate commerce
bill, SO long pending inthe Senate:
and a majority of them favor Fed
eral interference for the protection
of the people. A lively debate. was
provoked relative to the long anG
short haul section, and delegates
from the North and South were ep.
posed to each other as to the poll
ley which should prevail. The; de
but~tAakaHerLMide range, bu'
one Sentiment was uppermoss VIII
TALL, and that was that an Interstate
commerce bill was a national ne
cessity. 41g
The most notable debate of thu
week in Congress was that eve
the Anti-P olygamy bill. Delegate
CRANE, as the representative Of thu
Mormons, was attentively listened
to first, while he made a long ar
gument in behalf Of his people. III
sketched the settlement Of Utah b.
the Mormons, depicted the perse
cution to which they had been sub
.jected, and eulogized them for thei
industry, intelligence and honesty
He appealed to the House to con
slider well before it assented to tn,
propositions contained in the bill
He said religious bigotry was al
rayed against the Mormons ;aspoli
teal necessity, can't, hypocrisy
and all kindred Pecksniffianisn
Joined in the hue and cry. Base
less calumnies, SANDER, and IN
mitigated falsehoods were constant
ly disseminated through the plat
form, the pulpit andthe press, thes
mighty engines for the manufao
ture of public sentiment.
Mr.. CRANE insisted that time
the corrector of all evils, woul'
right wrong, if wrong it were; tina
the fiat of the Eternal had alread,
!, declared that the last vestige c
E Mormonism shall be swept ava,
by the peaceful progress of event
if it is not fit to survive. He. close
with a plea to the men who ha'
freed the negro slave from. bond
age, who loved liberty and cherish
ed the institutions of our country
that he would not consign his cpn
stituents to inhuman slavery.
Representative Bennett, ofNort
Carolina, also believed that tn
Mormon problem would resolve i
self; would yield to patient treat
ment at the hands Of The America,
people. The bill, he'said, didv i
: lence to the basic principles c
| American government. ~
Others were drawn into the dis
: cussion, and Hon. Randolph tuck
er of Virginia, closed the debate
He said he did not care what
Mormon believed, but he mustnc
: put his belief into acts that il
fringed on the rights of any othe
man. Polygamy was a crime b
every state in Christendom. Eve
/. since Christ interpreted the judah
, law and gave out therefore sha
a man leave father and mother an
cleave unto his wife and 1.-The
r twain"-"they twain"-"and not
whole bundle"-"ever since Chris
uttered that sentiment, all Ghrii
. tian nations have adopted mono
: gamy."
"What is Congress to da?," COZ
tinued Mr.. Tucker. "The gentl'
man from Utah said, Wait, if W
: are wrong, we will sink" aBl
g the Government wants Utah as or
: of the states of the Union. ltd
, !, not come in because it had $50
l 900 Mormons who would establis
r polygamy as one of the institution
e of that State. 1t was the duty
Congress to prepare Utah for tt
!, Union, and the way to do it was I
. extirpate that which was alien t
the genius of ourinstitutions. TT
time for a vote had come, and Rel
!, resentative Scott of Pennsylvani
here asked leave to offer an amend